reviews

​The Dirty River Boys (from the album Mesa Starlight available on DRB Music)Southwest desert dust and grit swirls, dancing with Celtic jigs, gypsy melodies, and rock’n’roll attitude in the music of The Dirty River Boys. Frenetic acoustic guitar strums keep pace with the anxious memories of “Break” while The Dirty River Boys attack “I’ll Be There”, the beat peer to a Pogues-like physical assault as they pound Country with the heavy hammered stomp into “Mesa” and hitch up a caffeinated pulse to push “Western Star” down the road alongside highway headlights. Citing influences of the desert, the road, the stage, the dancehall, the mosh pit, The Dirty River Boys smirk like smart ass punkers in the stories of their latest release, Mesa Starlight, careening through the album, slowing on occasion as they offer a slow dance for “Johnny” and fall into good feelings with the sounds they make on “Shine”.

The boy are back in town when The Dirty River Boys use handclap beats as a foundation for the community harmony celebrating “Wild in Our Streets”, exiting Mesa Starlight on the song that borders the tracks by mirroring the barely contained crazy of opening cut “Wild in Her Eyes”. Lines are drawn and goals for the evening are discussed when The Dirty River Boys barrel into the night on “F.T.W.” as Mesa Starlight waves goodbye with an optimistic middle finger in “Hopeful Loser”, rides the rodeo life into “Cheyenne”, and wrestles experience into a honky tonk tune with “Backside of Uppers”.